Scalable, waterless
magnetic separation
Upgrading variable ore into precision feedstock for future steel and critical minerals industries.
Dry Magnetic Separation Technology for Sustainable Mining
Waterless Mineral Processing
The next generation of metals processing demands higher-quality, more consistent feedstock, particularly for DRI-grade iron ore and other high-value applications. Steelmakers, battery producers and critical minerals processors increasingly require high-purity materials with lower impurities and greater consistency. This is creating demand upstream for miners that can produce cleaner, value-added feedstock from primary ores, stockpiles and tailings while reducing water and energy intensity.
DryFlow is developing the technology to meet this challenge
Using patented stacked magnetics technology, DryFlow enables waterless mineral separation by recovering valuable minerals from gangue early in the processing flowsheet. By removing non-value-adding material earlier, DryFlow can produce high-purity concentrates before they enter complex, high-cost downstream processing, improving feedstock quality while reducing water requirements and overall processing intensity.
Supported by Australian Federal Government programs, CSIRO and global resources and clean technology investors, DryFlow is helping advance Australia’s largest export industry by producing precision iron ore concentrate for lower- emissions steelmaking.
Drawing on Australia’s world-leading mining technology ecosystem, DryFlow is taking its expertise to selected global partners across iron ore, critical minerals, strategic metals and tailings recovery, helping enable more efficient and sustainable mineral processing.
How the DryFlow technology works
Patented stacked magnetics separate iron-bearing particles on-belt into three dry streams
DryFlow in the iron ore processing pathway
A dry magnetic separation platform that upgrades crushed ore into High Purity Iron for next generation steelmaking pathways
How DryFlow turns iron ore fines into premium products
Commerical Milestone
In August 2026, DryFlow held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its first commercial-scale unit ahead of its shipment to the US, where it will be deployed at an operating mine to improve ore grade and help unlock new markets for the mine owner.
The DryFlow Story
Built in South Australia for Water-Constrained Mining
South Australia is the driest state in the driest
inhabited continent and is home to billions of
tonnes of stranded magnetite iron ore. DryFlow
was developed to address the challenges of
processing these resources in harsh, remote and
water-constrained environments, enabling efficient
magnetite separation without process water.
Extensively tested across a wide range of ores,
DryFlow has demonstrated the ability to upgrade
low-grade magnetite below 30% Fe to high-grade
iron concentrates of 67% Fe and above, suitable
for DRI-grade steelmaking and lower-emissions
steel.
DryFlow is now applying this capability across iron
ore, critical minerals, strategic metals and tailings
recovery, helping customers produce higher-
purity products and unlock value from previously
uneconomic resources.
The Kuchel Separation Process
Invented by Ian Kuchel and protected by a global patent portfolio, the Kuchel Process is DryFlow’s proprietary stacked magnetics technology for dry
mineral separation, particularly the production of
high-grade, DRI-grade iron concentrates.
The process uses a continuous magnetic
induction field along the ore-carrying belt,
providing sufficient residence time for magnetic
particles to separate from gangue and form a
high-purity concentrate.
Unlike conventional dry separation technologies,
the Kuchel Process does not rely on energy-
intensive drying or forced-air fluidisation. Instead,
the ore self-fluidises within the magnetic field,
enabling effective separation at moisture levels
exceeding 10%.
The result is a robust, waterless separation system
designed for real mine conditions, including
remote, arid and variable ore environments.
Built with Industry, Proven with Partners
DryFlow works with leading research institutions,
engineering specialists and industry partners
to advance waterless mineral processing and
accelerate deployment across lower-intensity
metals supply chains.
Its collaboration network includes CSIRO, the
University of South Australia, the University of
Technology Sydney, ElementUSA, Loesche,
Siemens, Joest, Century Engineering and
Ammjohn Solutions. These partnerships support
improvements in separation performance,
flowsheet integration and mine-site deployment.
DryFlow also operates a dedicated research and
testing facility in partnership with Bureau Veritas, a
global testing and certification company.
Combining patented stacked magnetics with
waterless processing, DryFlow helps mining
companies improve production, unlock stranded
resources and recover valuable minerals, including
high-purity iron, from waste streams.
Our Partners
Leadership Team
Brett Boynton CFA
Founder and
Chief Executive Officer
Brett is a Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DryFlow, responsible for corporate strategy, capital formation and scaling the company’s sustainable mining technology. He began his career in investment banking and is a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded and scaled businesses across mining technology, fintech and agriculture, including ASX-listed Chrysos Corporation, Tellus, Agripower and Alpha Vista.
Brett has played a key role in advancing DRI-grade and high-grade iron concentrate solutions and the transition towards High Purity Iron. He has built ventures across Australia, the UK, US and Southern Africa, bringing capital markets, deal-making and company-building expertise to DryFlow.
Jon Robbeson
Founder and
Chief Operating Officer
Jon is a Founder and Chief Operating Officer of DryFlow, bringing decades of technical and commercial experience across mining and the METS sector. With expertise in chemistry, geology and mining engineering, he has designed, built, installed and operated innovative dry processing
solutions in real mine environments.
Jon leads DryFlow’s development of high-grade iron concentrates and DRI-grade products through waterless mineral processing. He combines practical field experience with a focus on technology adoption, team building and industry mentoring. A Fellow Chartered Professional of AusIMM and Chair of its Sydney Branch, Jon is a recognised figure in the Australian mining industry.
Elena Stocker
Co-Founder and
Chief Technology Officer
Elena is a Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of DryFlow, with more than 25 years’ experience in mechanical engineering, metallurgy and sustainable mining technology. She specialises in translating complex industrial concepts into scalable processes for high-grade iron concentrates and DRI-grade production.
Elena has held senior technical and manufacturing roles and worked with major clients including Simcoa Operations, PCC BakkiSilicon and Rio Tinto/Pacific Aluminium. She has led manufacturing operations focused on process optimisation and lean systems, developing practical pathways from innovation to reliable industrial performance. Elena holds a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA and is a member of Engineers Australia and Fellow of AusIMM.
Nadia Huang
Co-Founder and
Chief Strategy Officer
Nadia is a Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of DryFlow, bringing expertise in steel feedstock markets, including DRI-grade and high-grade iron concentrates, and cross-border industrial collaboration. Raised in a multi-generational steel products business and fluent in English and Mandarin, she understands both DryFlow’s customers and the downstream steelmakers
they supply.
Her experience spans commodities trading, supply-chain development, product sourcing, government engagement and major grant
funding, with relationships across China, Australia and Southeast Asia. Nadia leads DryFlow’s market strategy and Asian engagement, translating technical performance into product specifications, partnerships and commercial pathways for future steel markets.
Ivan Mellado
Non-exectutive director
Ivan is a deep tech specialist working with research institutions to develop groundbreaking science in areas such as high-grade iron concentrates and High Purity Iron. He has guided startups through commercialisation and developed IP strategies for sustainable mining technologies.
As a venture investor, Ivan is passionate about unlocking value from innovative technologies, including waterless mineral processing.
Mark Frayman
Investor Director
– Orion Resources
Mark is the Managing Partner of Orion Industrial Ventures, the venture capital arm of Orion Resource Partners, which focuses on advancing DRI-grade projects and investing in high-grade iron concentrates, High Purity Iron and sustainable mining technologies, including innovative waterless mineral
processing.
Blair Pritchard
Investor Director
– Virescent Ventures
Blair is a Partner at Virescent Ventures, the venture capital spin-out of the Australian Federal Government’s Clean
Energy Finance Corporation, focusing on sustainable mining technologies and the development of DRI-grade, high-purity iron concentrates through innovative waterless mineral processing.
Justin Travlos
Investor Director
– Taronga Ventures
Justin is a Director at Taronga Group, Australia’s leading realtech investor, representing Taronga Ventures’ investment in high-grade iron concentrates, High Purity Iron and innovative sustainable mining technologies, including waterless mineral
processing.
Contact
For enquiries regarding DRI Grade high-grade iron concentrates and High Purity Iron produced through sustainable mining technology and waterless mineral processing, please reach out at
35 Cormack Road, Wingfield
South Australia 5013
Australia
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